The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1887-09-10
THE @, A. R. AND POLITICS

llent thinl. that the organization 10 going
into "lcsucule. o. O1o~G Rppbltc'",
I.np itabouttimc that this bowling about
the "sodierha,ug friends Of the Pfesi-
dent" or the soldier.hating democrats, Tor
that means the same thing, was suppressed
as "A bowling nuisance There are no dem
ocrats. or friends of the President, who
hate the soldiers; that is certain. Political
~ at the north the soldiers, as between lie
pub!lcans and Democrats, arc nearly evenly
divided, and that would mean that half the
soldiers hate themselves; and among the
eX.rebel soldiers of the south most OF whom
are probably Democrats, there is no hatred
cherished against the Union soldiers of the
north. If such reunions between the two
classes as the lato one at Gettysburg and
numerous other different parts Of the coun-
try, are 10 be accepted as honest tests
From the inception of the g. A. X.
and is institution of Posts, Divisions,
Sc, its leaders and organs constantly
and vehemently protested that the
organization had no connection with poll
tics and from MI IT, deliberations and aims,
party politics should be rigidly excluded.
The order scrupulously maintained this
position, and no suspicion that beneath its
| fair exterior vicious partisan hate lay con
cealed, ever arose unit! the cottonsnug.
Cling bnodler Gen. Tutue, and his conganer
! Cen. Fairchild, lifted the curtain, so far as
the Iowa division of the q, A. r. under
their control was concerned, and manifest.
ed their hatred of President Cleveland by
threatening him with Insult and mob
violence If he attended proposed gather
inc of the G.. A. H. 1T st. Louis. The in
cident brought out IN Instant protest from
Gen Sherman, Gen Sheriden and others in
the highest esteem and authority among
the soldiers, as well ms largely from the
Republican as well as the Democratic
press. Why, said these, the President is
by the choice of majority and the unani
nous consent of all the people, the head OF
the nation and eX-ofllcio the commander-in'
chief of its armies and navies. An insult
TO him Is an insult to his office, and that is
simply treason much treason as the
mob violence organized against President
Lincoln on his passage through Baltimore
and an outbreak of which he only avoided
by an adooit flank movement, or the treason
that eliminated IN the tragedy Of Ford's
theatre.
Nevertheless the howl went on, and a
second manipulation of its aim and effect
exhibited itself week ago at Wheeling,
where Ut may be under somewhat cen
suab,e prOvocation) another insult was
offered to the Presiden. by the refusal Of
certain portions of procession of soldiers
70 march under banner upon which the
name or a portrait of Cleveland had been
inscribed.
The excuse offered for these insults to
President is, that in the conscientious dis
charge of his duty, he vetoed some GO out
of over 400 special pension bills that were
passed by Congress and presented to him
for approval and also that he vetoed the
socalled permanent disabilities pension
bill No allowance is made in regard to
the former, that at least nine -tenths Of the
GO odd vetoed bills covered gross and pal
pablesteals, that should have been no more
sanctioned by the President than any other
attempt at bOodleYism; and as to the latter
the disabilities pension hill-which pro.
posed to give pension to all soldiers who,
no matter how long after the close Of the
war, should become SO disabled as To be
incapable for manual labor, the obvious
objection was that SO far as il applied &c
disabled soldiers who were incapable of
selisupport, they were already provided
for by the various soldiers homes establish
ed throughout the country, and as to other,
so disabled but well enough of to need no
help from the government, it was degrading
, them to;the rank Of leeChes on the govern
ment for help they did not need.
p III luC btSl NlNN, NIlil' tlINSNN VI tNiil
other Official act of the President, may hC
righttully alleged by the soldiers as reasons
FOX not voting for his re election, they are
no more to be alleged againat him as gooj
cause for insult to himself and his higl
Office than any other act of the Presiden
concientiously performed, no matter how
innocent or meritorious.
But the truth of It is, that this how
against the President as the enemy of til,
soldiers, as well as the Foraker flourish o.
the bloody shirt, is all in pursuance of ,
; plan, and means simply 10 arouse the ole
war feeling in the interest of the policy o
retaining the high protective tariff. The
present excessive tariff exactions are yerl
difficult TO defend when the revenue is s,
dangerously redundant. In order to main
tain 1t without exciting public indignation
/ and protest the surplus must he reduced
and II that can be done by spending 1t In 6
way that would have a patriotic aspect, ant
which for, that reason politicians would